Schoolyard Brawls

I

 

There was a boy

Who liked to cause mischief.

 

He saw the kids at the tire swings playing

Their games… there in the South Yard;

They were content to play.

Then there were the kids at the North Yard

End the of the playground

Who played on the tall structures

And played nicely there, too.

 

What happened was the mischievous boy

Went and told a rumor

To the North Yard Kids

And then went and told a rumor

To the South Yard Kids.

It soon came to be

That the two groups of kids

Fought… and fought hard.

No bloody noses,

But there were some broken lips.

 

Well, the mischievous boy got such a hollering glee

About causing the fight

That he went and stirred up strife

A second time,

 

It was his joy

Because he liked to fight.

But on the third time

The two groups of kids got wise.

They trapped him

And dog piled the mischievous boy.

He got punched in the gut

So that the wind was knocked out of him.

He got a black eye;

He got dog piled.

The whole school joined in the fight against that little

Mischievous boy

Because they realized it was him

Who caused all of the strife.

 

The boy even tried again

After the fight to start a fight;

But nothing ever came of it ever again;

His reputation was ruined.

 

I was that little boy.

So I know that the small,

Tinee-Tiny group of people

Who want to start World War III

Call them Barons of Industry,

Will be found out just like I was.

 

I was simply a schoolyard pest.

These who spoil us…

They’re the robber barons.

They won’t get a black eye.

They’ll get much worse.

 

And me! My black eye healed

The instant it was mentioned to me that I had one.

It was like… in a strange way

I hadn’t really gotten into a fight at all.

So maybe I was seeing someone else.

 

II

 

A second time

I saw a boy about my age

And knew his family was deaf.

So I teased him.—

He started a fight,

Socked me in the mouth

And the eye.

Once he and I were done,

I had a black eye.

But… when I went to my mother

I had no black eye.

It was like the fight hadn’t even happened.

That will be like the one who tries to start a fight with me

And I hadn’t even wanted to fight.

But he came after my family

So the one who socked me in the eye

He’s the one who’s gonna sock you, Prince of Theives;

And I’ve cried like I had a black eye

But there won’t be even the slightest one found on me;

And I won’t even feel a single sting of pain.